CN106104743B - Seal fuse base - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a fuse holder (1) comprising two housing elements (4, 5) which, once assembled together, form a housing for a fuse ( 10) Tube. One of the housing elements (4, 5) includes a base (4a) extending longitudinally in a direction in which the two housing elements (4, 5) are assembled to each other. The seal (11) is located on the base (4a), substantially in a plane perpendicular to the assembly direction (A). During assembly, another housing element is brought to at least partially cover the base (4a) for sandwiching the seal (11) between the two housing elements (4, 5). A bezel (4c) extends around the base (4a) in the assembly direction (A) to protect the seal (11) before the two housing elements (4, 5) are assembled together.

Description

Sealed fuse holder

The present invention relates to the field of fuse holders, and in particular to fuse holders for automotive applications.

In particular, fuseholders of this type can be used to protect charging circuits of electric vehicles. These fuses are advantageously arranged as far upstream as possible of the charging circuit, eg at the level of the charging socket, to protect the vehicle and any occupants against short circuits, overheating, or even fire. In this type of circuit, the fuses are located outside the passenger compartment and are thus exposed to inclement weather, water spray, etc.

Given the importance of the protective role of these fuses, improvements to these fuses are sought in order to increase the efficacy and reliability of these fuses.

To this end, a fuseholder is provided according to the invention, which fuseholder comprises two housing elements. Each component is a one-piece component. For example, once assembled, the two housing elements form a tube closed at each end thereof. They can then accommodate at least one fuse. A plurality of fuses can be accommodated in parallel between two housing elements. Each fuse includes two connection terminals. Each housing element includes at least one contact for establishing an electrical connection with one of the terminals. More precisely, each fuse has two contacts, each located in a corresponding housing element. Each contact is then used to establish an electrical connection with one of the two connection terminals of the fuse. Each contact is electrically connected (eg, crimped and/or soldered) to a cable. Each housing element comprises a channel for the cable or cables and a wire seal providing a seal between the outer insulating sheath of each cable and the channel. In the case of a fuseholder housing a single fuse, the seal may be a separate wire seal. Additionally, individual wire seals may be provided for each cable, or a common seal may be provided for multiple cables, including channels for each cable.

One of the two housing elements includes a cap for receiving at least one fuse and extends longitudinally in a direction in which the two housing elements are assembled with each other. The housing element further includes an interfacial seal at the cap. The interface seal is an O-ring seal, for example, substantially in a plane perpendicular to the direction of assembly. When the two housing elements are assembled together, the additional housing element covers the interface seal. The interface seal is thus sandwiched between two housing elements. More precisely, the interface seal is sandwiched between the outer cap surface of one of the housing elements and the inner surface of the other housing element.

The fuse or fuses housed in the fuseholder are thus in the sealing area.

To protect the interface seal, for example, when the two housing elements are not assembled together, a rim is provided which is molded in one piece with the housing element and which on the one hand extends all around the cap and which The frame edge, on the other hand, extends in the direction in which the two housing elements are assembled together. The bezel is then positioned over the interface seal.

To retain the interface seal on the housing element to which it is mounted, in particular when the housing elements are not assembled together, for example during the transport and delivery phase, means are provided for retaining the interface seal. This feature makes it possible to transport the fuseholder in such a way that it has the support pre-assembled on one housing element and the seal already fitted to it, while the contacts, cables and fuses will only be provided at a later stage to install.

The retaining means is eg removable and/or movable between an open position and a closed position. In the open position of the retaining means, the interface seal is relatively free to slide over a portion of the cap. In the closed position of the retaining means, movement of the interface seal on the cap is more restricted, remaining substantially below the rim or at least in a region close enough to the rim for making access to the interface seal more difficult. The holding means for the interface seal may for example be a one-piece element integral with the support in which at least one fuse is housed. Accordingly, both functions (interface seal holding and fuse support) are provided in a single element, making it possible to carry out the manufacturing and assembly process of the fuseholder according to the invention in a simpler and economical manner. The open position of the hold/fuse holder arrangement enables insertion of at least one fuse on the holder and its closed position enables connection of the fuse with the contacts.

To keep the housing elements assembled together, locking means may be provided, one part of which is located on one of the housing elements and the other part of which is located on the other housing element. The two parts are then mutually engaged, eg clipped together, to lock the housing elements when they are assembled together. In order to protect these locking means against shocks or unintentional release, they are at least partially covered and protected by a frame edge.

To facilitate fitting of the interface seal, a bevel is provided on one of the housing elements. The bevel is located at least partially below the frame edge. In the direction of assembly, corresponding to the insertion with a part of another housing element, below the edge of the frame, it is flared. This bevel then forms a ramp for sliding the interface during assembly of the housing elements, on the caps, relative to each other, from their position held by the retaining means to their position on the abutment (with which sealing contact is established). Seals.

To accommodate the interface seal, a flared opening is provided on one of the housing elements into which the seat and the seal on the other housing element are inserted. This avoids having to slot the cap, the molding of which would then be incompatible with the manufacture of the bezel.

Other features and beneficial effects of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. In the picture:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fuseholder according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the fuse holder in Figure 1;

- Figures 3A and 3B are perspective views of the supports mounted on the housing elements of the fuseholders of Figures 1 and 2, in the open and closed positions, respectively;

- Figure 4 is a longitudinal section on the axial plane of the fuse holder in Figures 1 and 2; and

- Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fuseholder of Figures 1 and 2 on an axial plane perpendicular to that of Figure 4 .

FIG. 1 shows an example of a fuse holder 1 . The fuse holder 1 is inserted between two cable parts 2 in an electric circuit such as a charging circuit of an electric vehicle. Each cable part 2 is electrically connected, eg crimped or soldered, to a contact 3 (eg a Delphi female DCS1 contact 6.3, which can be seen in Figs. 4 and 5). Each contact 3 is accommodated in a housing element 4 , 5 . The first housing element 4 comprises locking means 6 for holding the second housing element 5, forming a cover. Once assembled, the first housing element 4 and the second housing element 5 form a tube closed at each end thereof by a wall 7 , the tube comprising a channel 8 for each cable part 2 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , in addition to the contacts 3 and the first housing element 4 and the second housing element 5 , the fuse holder also includes a fuse holder 9 , a fuse 10 and an O-ring seal 11 . The fuse 10 is accommodated in a support 9 which itself is accommodated in the tube formed by the assembly of the first housing element 4 and the second housing element 5 . Mounted on the first housing element 4 is a seal 11 interposed between the first housing element 4 and the second housing element 5 in the manner of an interface seal to provide a seal therebetween (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ). Here, the locking means 6 consist of two diametrically opposite elastic appendages 6a on the first housing element 4, each elastic appendage 6a comprising a corresponding notch 6b, which will be correspondingly located on the second housing element 5 The lug (see FIG. 5 ) clips into this notch 6b.

The first housing element 4 essentially consists of a substantially cylindrical cap 4a, the outer surface 4b of which is partly surrounded by a skirt 4c. The locking device 6 is partly covered by a rim formed by the skirt 4c.

As shown in FIG. 3A , the support 9 is cradle-shaped with two side walls 12 extending longitudinally between two flanges 13 . Two elastic transverse lugs 14 each extend from a respective side wall 12 . Each of these transverse lugs 14 includes a claw 14 a constituting means for retaining the fuse 10 in the support 9 .

The support 9 also comprises guiding and fixing means 15 (see FIG. 3A ). These guide and fixation means 15 comprise two diametrically opposite lugs 15a, each lug 15a comprising a corresponding hook 15b for holding or locking the support 9 on the first housing element 4 (see FIG. 4 ) in the rear opening 17a (open position of the support 9) or in the front opening 17b (closed position of the support 9). These two lugs 15 a constitute guide means enabling precise guidance and positioning of the support 9 relative to the first housing element 4 . These two lugs 15 a also constitute means for retaining the seal 11 on the first housing element 4 . The means for holding the seal 11 is a monolithic element integral with the support 9 .

Figures 3A and 3B show the open and closed positions of the support 9 on the first housing element 4, respectively. In the position corresponding to Fig. 3A, the support 9 is in the open or pre-locked position. In this position, the fuse 10 can be introduced into the support 9 without detaching the support 9 from the first housing element 4 . The support 9 is held but movable on the first housing element 4 because the hook 15b remains engaged in the rear opening 17b. Since the support 9 does not need to be completely detached from the first housing element 4 in order to introduce the fuse 10 to the support 9, the seal 11 continues to be held on the cap 4a by the lug 15a.

When the fuse 10 is correctly positioned between the transverse lugs 14, below the claw 14a, and the terminal 10a is inserted into the slot 13a, the support 9 is able to move longitudinally, towards its closed position, in the cap of the first housing element 4. cavity 18 in portion 4a and is guided to opening 19 . During this movement, the lugs 15a slide in diametrically opposite grooves 20 arranged longitudinally on the outer surface 4b of the cap 4a (see FIG. 2 ). Accordingly, the support 9 is inserted into the first housing element 4, which will naturally be oriented correctly so that the opening of the female contact 3 (which is accommodated in the first housing element 4) is aligned with the corresponding Terminals 10a are aligned.

In this closed position of the support 9 the second housing element 5 can be screwed onto the support 9 and around the cap 4 a for locking by the locking means 6 . As can be seen in particular from FIG. 1 , the second housing element 5 comprises a pokayoke mean 16 enabling the correct orientation of the second housing element 5 operatively relative to the support 9 . According to this, once inserted on the support 9, the second housing element 5 is naturally correctly oriented and the openings of the female contacts 3 housed in the second housing element 5 are aligned with the corresponding terminals 10a.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the first housing element 4 and the second housing element 5 assembled in this way form a closed tube formed by the interface seal 11 and the cable 2 crimped on the contact 3 Individual wire seals 19 seal.

It can also be seen from FIG. 4 that the seal 11 is located on the cap 4 a, mainly in a plane perpendicular to the direction A of assembly. When the two housing elements 4 , 5 are assembled together, they are covered by the second housing element 5 .

The first housing element 4 comprises a bevel 20 which is located below the frame rim formed by the skirt 4c. It is flared below the rim in the assembly direction corresponding to the insertion of the part of the second housing element 5 . This ramp 20 constitutes a ramp for guiding the interface seal piece 11 onto the seat 21 when the first housing element 4 and the second housing element 5 are assembled together.

The second housing element 5 comprises a flared opening 22 into which the seat 21 and the seal 11 are inserted.

The rim formed by the skirt 4 c thus at least partially protects the seal 11 . The rim extends on the one hand around the cap 4a and on the other hand in the direction in which the first housing element 4 and the second housing element 5 are assembled to each other. The seal 11 is thus protected even when the second housing element 5 is not assembled with the first housing element 4 . Furthermore, the lug 15a makes it possible to retain the seal 11 in the first housing element 4 when the support 9 is in the closed position (which advantageously corresponds to the transport position of the assembly formed by the first housing element 4 and the support 9 ). on, below the skirt 4c.

It can also be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5 that the second housing element 5 fits snugly around the support 9 in which the fuse 10 is precisely accommodated, the fuse itself being firmly connected to the contacts 3 and reliably locked in the corresponding housing.

A fuse holder 1 with a single support 9 for a single fuse 10 has been described above, but according to variants, a fuse holder 1 according to the invention may not only comprise a single support 9 but also accommodate multiple A single holder 9 for one fuse 10, or multiple holders 9 each containing one or more fuses 10. All these variants have one or more of the features defined in the claims.

Claims (9)

CLAIMS 1. A fuse holder comprising two housing elements (4, 5) enabling the accommodation of at least one fuse (10) once assembled, Wherein, one housing element (4) of said two housing elements (4, 5) comprises a cap (4a), which is positioned between said two housing elements (4, 5) extending longitudinally in the direction of assembly (A), It is characterized in that the fuse holder includes: - a locking device (6) partly located on one of said housing elements (4, 5) (4) and another part of said locking device (6) located on said on the other housing element (5) of the housing elements (4, 5) to hold said housing elements (4, 5) assembled together, and formed at each end thereof by a wall ( 7) a closed tube, the wall part (7) comprising a cable channel (8) for the cable part (2), and - a seal (11) arranged on said cap (4a) substantially in a plane perpendicular to the direction of assembly (A) and when said two housing elements (4, 5 ) are locked together, this seal (11) is covered by said other housing element (5). 2. The fuseholder as claimed in claim 1, wherein one housing element (4) of said two housing elements (4, 5) consists essentially of a cap (4a) and comprises a frame ( 4c), the rim (4c) is molded in one piece with the cap (4a), and said rim (4c) extends all around the cap (4a) on the one hand, and on the other hand between said two The housing elements (4, 5) extend in a direction (A) in which they are assembled with each other. 3. A fuse holder as claimed in claim 2, said fuse holder comprising means (15a) for retaining said seal (11) movable between an open position and a closed position when said housing In this closed position, when the body elements (4, 5) are not assembled together, said seal (11) remains on said housing element (4) on which said seal (11) is mounted. 4. A fuseholder according to claim 3, wherein said means (15a) for retaining said seal (11) is integral with a support (9) in which at least one fuse (10) is accommodated . 5. A fuse holder according to any one of claims 2 to 4, said fuse holder comprising locking means (6) partly located in said housing elements (4, 5) on one of them, while the other part of the locking device (6) is located on the other of said housing elements (4, 5), these two parts engage with each other, so that when said housing elements (4 , 5) Locking the housing elements (4, 5) when assembled together, wherein the locking means (6) are at least partially covered by the frame edge (4c). 6. The fuseholder as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein one (4) of the housing elements (4, 5) comprises a bevel (20), the bevel (20 ) is located at least partially below the frame edge (4c) and is flared below the frame edge (4c) in the assembly direction corresponding to the insertion of a part (22) of the further housing element (5) , said bevel (20) forms a ramp for guiding said seal (11) to a seat (21) when said housing elements (4, 5) are assembled together. 7. The fuse holder according to claim 6, wherein one housing element (5) comprises a bell-shaped opening (22), said support (21) and said other housing element (4) The sealing member (11) is inserted into the bell-shaped opening (22). 8. The fuseholder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the seal (11) is an O-ring seal. 9. The fuseholder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each housing element (4, 5) comprises at least one contact (3), said at least one contact (3) being provided with to establish electrical connection with the terminal (10a) of the fuse (10), and to be electrically connected to the cable (2), and wherein each housing element (4, 5) includes at least one cable channel (8) and a wire A seal (24), the wire seal (24) is inserted between each cable (2) and said cable channel (8).